Ukraine

The Insider reports: On Tuesday, the House overwhelmingly passed a resolution to condemn Russia’s abduction of Ukrainian children in the two years since the war began. Nine Republicans voted against the resolution. Sponsored by Democratic Rep. Susan Wild of Pennsylvania, the resolution holds the Russian government “responsible for the wrongful and illegal kidnapping of children from Ukraine” and states that …

Politico Europe reports: France wants Russia to observe a cease-fire in Ukraine during this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview with Ukrainian television on Saturday. “This is a message of peace,” Macron said, before a voiceover interpreter quoted the French president as saying that France is doing so in line with the spirit …

Reuters reports: President Vladimir Putin warned the West on Wednesday Russia was technically ready for nuclear war and that if the U.S. sent troops to Ukraine, it would be considered a significant escalation of the conflict. Putin, speaking just days before a March 15-17 election which is certain to give him another six years in power, said the nuclear war …

The BBC reports: Donald Trump will not fund Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s invasion if he is elected US president again, Hungarian PM Viktor Orban has said. “He will not give a penny in the Ukraine-Russia war. That is why the war will end,” the conservative premier said. “It is obvious that Ukraine cannot stand on its own feet,” Mr Orban …

The Associated Press reports: Pope Francis said in an interview that Ukraine, facing a possible defeat, should have the courage to negotiate an end to the war with Russia and not be ashamed to sit at the same table to carry out peace talks. “I think that the strongest one is the one who looks at the situation, thinks about …

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church writes: On February 8, 2024, Holy Patriarch of Kyiv and All Russia-Ukraine Filaret awarded medals for “sacrifice and love to Ukraine” all personnel of the medical point of the 1st mechanized battalion of the 72nd separate mechanized brigade named after the Black Zaporozhzhciv Armed Forces of Ukraine in the corresponding submission. It is well known that …

Politico Europe reports: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday warned NATO against sending its troops to help Ukraine, in an explicit nuclear threat. “There has been talk of sending NATO contingents to Ukraine. But we remember the fate of those who sent contingents [in the past]. Now the consequences for the interventionists will be much more tragic,” Putin said in …

Reuters reports: President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday that 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed since Russia’s full-scale invasion two years ago, giving the first official figure for more than a year. Zelenskiy told a news conference in Kyiv that he could not disclose the number of wounded because it would help Russian military planning. “31,000 Ukrainian troops have been …

Politico reports: President Joe Biden called the behavior of House Republicans “shocking” on Monday for “walking away from the threat of Russia” for not passing aid for Ukraine. “The way they’re walking away from the threat of Russia, the way they’re walking away from NATO, the way they’re walking away from meeting our obligations. It’s just shocking. I’ve never seen …

The Hill reports: Russia has suffered more than 300,000 casualties in the war in Ukraine, according to the latest U.S. estimate, and has also lost 20 medium-to-large ships in the Black Sea. Laura Cooper, the Pentagon’s deputy secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia, said 315,000 Russian soldiers have died or been wounded in the fighting so far. In …

The New York Times reports: The Senate passed a long-awaited foreign aid package for Ukraine and Israel early Tuesday morning, delivering a bipartisan endorsement of the legislation after months of negotiations, dire battlefield warnings and political mudslinging. But the measure faced a buzz saw of opposition in the House, where Republican resistance threatened to kill it. The 70-to-29 vote reflected …

The Guardian reports: Rand Paul has launched a talking filibuster in protest of the $95bn foreign aid package making its way through the Senate, $60bn of which would be sent to Ukraine and $14bn of which would be directed to Israel. In a rambling speech, Paul addressed disparate topics like Covid-19 vaccinations and immigration. On the topic of foreign aid, …

NBC News reports: The Senate voted Thursday afternoon to proceed to a stripped-down bill that would provide aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan, one day after Republicans in the chamber rejected a bipartisan border security and foreign aid bill. The vote of 67-32 means the Senate can begin consideration of the $95 billion package, although the next steps are uncertain …

The Associated Press reports: The leaders of the 27 European Union countries sealed a deal Thursday to provide Ukraine with a new 50-billion-euro ($54 billion) support package for its war-ravaged economy despite weeks of threats from Hungary to veto the move. That Hungary lifted its veto, and so quickly, came as a surprise. On the eve of the summit, Hungarian …

Reuters reports: Hungary’s far-right Our Homeland party would lay claim to a western region of Ukraine that is home to about 150,000 ethnic Hungarians if Ukraine loses its statehood due to Russia’s invasion, the party’s leader said late on Saturday. Our Homeland leader Laszlo Toroczkai made the remarks at a conference where the party, which has six lawmakers in the …

The Messenger reports: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., on Friday said she will fight pairing supplemental aid for Ukraine and border security together even if she has to file a motion to vacate House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., because it is a “failing” strategy. “We don’t have to trade $60 billion for Ukraine for our own country’s border security,” Greene …

The Kyiv Independent reports: Russia has lost 356,670 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24 last year, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported on Dec. 28. This number includes 920 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day. According to the report, Russia has also lost 5,940 tanks, 11,015 armored fighting …

Nikkei Asia reports: Russian President Vladimir Putin told his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping that Russia “will fight for [at least] five years” in Ukraine, sources have revealed. This was apparently Putin’s way of summarizing a situation that at the time was not favorable to Russia and assuring Xi that Russia would emerge victorious in the end. The likely implication was …

The New York Times reports: A Ukrainian attack hit a Russian warship moored in Crimea early on Tuesday, in what appeared to be one of the most significant strikes against Moscow’s prized Black Sea Fleet in months. The Ukrainian Air Force said in a statement that it had destroyed the Novocherkassk, a large landing ship, in the southeastern Crimean port …

The New York Times reports: Mr. Putin has been signaling through intermediaries since at least September that he is open to a cease-fire that freezes the fighting along the current lines, far short of his ambitions to dominate Ukraine, two former senior Russian officials close to the Kremlin and American and international officials who have received the message from Mr. …